Laying More Foundations: Edwardian Corset #1

I cut this out in beige coutil a few weeks [months?] back, and it kept sinking to the bottom of the pile. Corsets aren’t difficult, but they are time consuming! Sew-jo has been sadly lacking, while I fight all manner of work problems, and deal with the stress fallout, but I got a bit of energy yesterday evening, cut out the silk top layer, and sewed it all up.

The silk is a delicious shot aqua dupion, which [get me] was used as curtains and door panels at our first rental. I was flush at the time! It’s been in a bag since we moved, which is disgraceful. It will make a stunning corset, and the missus wants [guess what?] another shirt out of it. There’s plenty! I originally bought it from Cheap Fabrics Online, who are great for silks. We got all our wedding dress silks from them, including custom dyeing my silk crepe de chine.

Lots of pieces. Lots. Ten each side I think?

Busk insertion was a breeze, I have it down pat now how to use a combination of awl, wooden skewer, then chopstick to make the holes. Cutting/punching the holes cuts the threads and can weaken the fabric…

I don’t plan to line this one. Although we are very keen on neat insides, and lining where possible these days, historically they flatlined bodices etc, and made corsets single layer on the whole. The silk is flat lined onto the coutil, and made up as one. Raw edges should [I hope] all be concealed inside with the boning channels.

There’s a lot of trimming and pressing, but the pattern drafting is perfect, and this went together in a couple of hours.

It looks rather Madonna here, but shouldn’t end up like that. I’ve been a little devil, and not bothered with a fitting, as any gaps are meant to be padded out in any case, to get that pigeon front effect. I’ve got a nice selection of ivory ribbon and lace trim from my daughter’s wedding dress to tittivate this one, but now for several hours worth of eyelets and boning. Wish me luck, I’m going in!

13 thoughts on “Laying More Foundations: Edwardian Corset #1”

Wishing you luck, will wait anxiously for updates. I hope and pray you’ll manage the operation without sustaining any wounds to body nor soul. It is a dangerous place, but you are a brave one, going in where angels fear to tread. *admires*
😆😆😆

Oh, I just love that color! I’ve been looking for a good pattern for an Edwardian corset, would you suggest the Truly Victorian you’re using? I’ve never made a corset from the era, so I’m a little unsure where to start.

I think it’s a wonderful pattern, it is perfectly drafted and I love the shape. Technically this one is slightly wrong for the Titanic Era dress I’ve made, but I’m hoping I’ll get away with it. It’s quite a short era but the dress style changes quite a lot in a short time, and the corset shape goes from very S-bend to quite straight up and down. Only time will tell if it works!